1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910784608903321

Autore

Geary Patrick J. <1948->

Titolo

Furta sacra : thefts of relics in the central Middle Ages / / Patrick J. Geary

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Princeton, : Princeton University Press, 1990

ISBN

9786613135704

1-4008-2020-0

1-283-13570-1

Edizione

[Revised edition.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (237 pages)

Collana

Princeton paperbacks

Disciplina

364.1/62

364.162

Soggetti

Theft of relics - Europe

Social history - Medieval, 500-1500

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliography and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Preface to the 1990 Edition -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- CHAPTER ONE. Relics and Saints in the Central Middle Ages -- CHAPTER TWO. The Cult of Relics in Carolingian Europe -- CHAPTER THREE. The Professionals -- CHAPTER FOUR. Monastic Thefts -- CHAPTER FIVE. Urban Thefts -- CHAPTER SIX. Justifications -- CHAPTER SEVEN. Conclusions -- APPENDIX A: Critique of Texts -- APPENDIX B: Handlist of Relic Thefts -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

To obtain sacred relics, medieval monks plundered tombs, avaricious merchants raided churches, and relic-mongers scoured the Roman catacombs. In a revised edition of Furta Sacra, Patrick Geary considers the social and cultural context for these acts, asking how the relics were perceived and why the thefts met with the approval of medieval Christians.